Got a Frankford Arsenal Tumbler arriving tomorrow

[BeauxKneauxs]

I'm looking forward to this useful tool. Looks like it should make cleaning a snap. It also comes with 5 lbs of stainless steel media which I hear is superior to other media types.

I paired it up with a universal decapping die for dirty brass to eliminate extra cleaning steps and prevent damage to my resizing dies. My goal is to have one cleaning cycle then load.

Just thought I'd share. Comments welcome.

[wilson1911]

Be sure you deprime only before you wash. Pins will get stuck in the necks if you don't for some calibers. fyi I use a dehydrator to dry my brass after I get done washing them.

Careful on the lemishine also, it only takes a little.

[markm]

I get pins stuck in my flash holes no matter what. But, yes. Decapping before tumbling is a good idea.

[Koshinn]

PSA, stainless steel media is about 6.5mm long.

I know this because every 100 rds or so of 6.5 i tumble, about 5 have pins stuck sideways in the case neck that require using a punch or something to get out.

[BeauxKneauxs]

Thanks guys. I also bought a Lee universal depriming die. 250 rounds through and no issues so far. Once I have cut all the brass (5.56 to 300 BLK) then I will tumble. Better yet I should swage first. Need a cheap solution for that. Any favorite recipes for cleaning solution? Frankford included a brass cleaner concentrate.

[wilson1911]

dawn ultra only
lemishine

Normal portions are 1 cup dawn and 1/4 teaspoon lemishine. I would start with 3/4 cup dawn ultra and a pinch of lemi. Too much lemishine will make your brass not as shiny, kind of orange and dullish. This is the hardest part to get right.


Markm I have been trying to find some "long ovals" that look like footballs to use instead. Just can't find them cheap enough yet.

2 hr wash time, longer for dirtier brass.

[RedRallyeZ]

i ONLY wet tumble now. i use the thumlers tumbler, but same concept. You will be very impressed with how much better your brass looks.

I decap, then tumble with dawn and lemishine, and for ar loads will tumble again to remove case lube after sizing and trimming. No matter the case, i have found that about 5% of whatever i tumble will have pins lodged in the flash hole.

I just got the FA brass dryer in the mail today. I'm interested to see if that helps to cut down drying time.

[wilson1911]

I use a dehydrator

[BeauxKneauxs]

dawn ultra only
lemishine

Normal portions are 1 cup dawn and 1/4 teaspoon lemishine. I would start with 3/4 cup dawn ultra and a pinch of lemi. Too much lemishine will make your brass not as shiny, kind of orange and dullish. This is the hardest part to get right.


Markm I have been trying to find some "long ovals" that look like footballs to use instead. Just can't find them cheap enough yet.

2 hr wash time, longer for dirtier brass.

How many cups water?

[LoboTBL]

I like using Simple Green and a little bit of Lemi-Shine. It doesn't take much of the green stuff since it is so concentrated.

[ex95B10]

i ONLY wet tumble now. i use the thumlers tumbler, but same concept. You will be very impressed with how much better your brass looks.

I decap, then tumble with dawn and lemishine, and for ar loads will tumble again to remove case lube after sizing and trimming. No matter the case, i have found that about 5% of whatever i tumble will have pins lodged in the flash hole.

I just got the FA brass dryer in the mail today. I'm interested to see if that helps to cut down drying time.
The Thumbler Tumbler is what I got for Christmas but I haven't used it yet, can't wait to see how it turns out.
The FA brass dryer looks like a dehydrator sold as a brass dryer, I wonder if it is better designed for brass like having a way to stand the brass instead laying down?

[BeauxKneauxs]

Update: Ran the first ever batch of brass through the Frankford Arsenal today. This is my first time to clean brass. The results are amazing. I used water and the provided cleaning solution and stainless steel media. Tumbled for 2 hours and the cases look newer than new. Only one stuck pin in a case out of 300. I am very happy with my purchase.

[jbdesigns]

Once you go wet tumble, you don't go back.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[30 cal slut]

This is my new favorite tumbler.

Built very well from the ground up as a dedicated stainless media brass case tumbler.

The drum is toughened plastic (not metal like the Thumler Model B and other lapidary style tumblers). So no rust, and it's lighter.

The screw caps are a nice touch, making it easier to open and close than wing nuts.

Can tumble up to 1,000 cases of 5.56 at a time.

The freakin motor is FAST, which aids in shorter tumbling times.

The motor unit is sealed in a plastic housing. No worries about water leakage into the motor.

Also, there is a timer.

The footprint is not as big as some of the other tumblers out there.

And the price. $150 shipped from Amazon, which includes 5 lbs of stainless tumbling media.

I think I'm going to order another one. Or two.

http://www.amazon.com/Frankford-Arsenal-909544-Rotary-Tumbler/dp/B00HTN4R6O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452524112&sr=8-1&keywords=wet+tumbler

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41%2BIWm4WY9L.jpg

[mutedblade]

I've got one, love it. Can't ask for a better tumbler. I've thrown what seems like too many cases in it but it still cleaned them all with no problems at all.

[Bimmer]

Dumb question here...

I have an ugly duckling Glock from GunBroker. I want to strip the finish off the slide in preparation of DuraCoating it. Of course I've already stripped all the internal parts out of the slide...

Can I put a pistol slide in the wet tumbler?!

[mutedblade]

Bimmer,

Due to the rotational forces the tumbler uses, I can't suggest using it to strip a finish off a slide, though I have no doubt it will. If you use pins, they will round the edges and likely induce reliability issues. Maybe someone with finish stripping will chime in but I personally wouldn't attempt, even on a beater glock!

[Bimmer]

If you use pins, they will round the edges and likely induce reliability issues.


Explain this to me, please...


If SS pins won't damage or deform or even work harden brass, then how would they possibly damage a steel slide?!


I'm not arguing, I'm just trying to understand.

[mutedblade]

i can only speculate Bimmer. Never tried it myself and have found some folks are getting primer pockets rounded from extended time in the tumbler. I know brass is a lot softer than steel but I wouldn't chance it, probably because I've never seen someone do what you are saying. I would love to see how it works out because there are plenty of ugly guns that could benefit from this kind of treatment. Let us know how it turns out!

[Bimmer]

I've never seen someone do what you are saying...


Well, I've never seen it, either, but I do know that a lot of these tumbler's were originally designed for cleaning/buffing parts...

[Bimmer]

I want to bump this...

I've had my Frankford tumbler sitting in a box for about a year, and I finally put it to work today.

As threatened, I threw an ugly ducking Glock slide in there... Nevermind how (my fault), but I have nothing to lose with this slide. So far, the steel pins are doing a good job chipping away at the misbegotten DuraCoat on the slide (not DuraCoat's fault: my fault).


I have a question about recipes:

This site says 5lbs pins, 8lbs water (1 gallon), and 2-4lbs brass:

http://www.stainlesstumblingmedia.com/tips/

Given that the Frankford tumbler holds about 15lbs of water (7 liters), it seems like 5lbs of pins aren't enough... The recommended recipe (above) should be about double to reach the Frankford's capacity (not to exceed 30lbs, total).


Finally, the Frankford pins are 0.041 or so, which is the size that stick in primer holes (so I hear). So, I bought another 5lbs of 0.047 pins from GunTap (best price I could find). So, far it's humming along...

[mutedblade]

Glad to hear it's working as planned. Can't wait for a pic or two of the end result. As for the recipe, I just filled the drum with all the brass I had (5-8 lbs), threw in the pins, added the solution and covered with water. Worked well for me. Man was that some nasty water when it was done!

[Bimmer]

As far as I can see, it's not damaging the slide... In fact, it's taking forever.

It's been in there 5-6 hours (HOURS), and the DuraCoat is off the big flat surfaces, but still around the corners, and the entire inside of the slide still seems to be coated with it.

I'll put it in again today, but maybe I'll use hot water and LemiShine (yesterday I just used cold water and Dawn).

[Marlin 795]

As far as I can see, it's not damaging the slide... In fact, it's taking forever.

It's been in there 5-6 hours (HOURS), and the DuraCoat is off the big flat surfaces, but still around the corners, and the entire inside of the slide still seems to be coated with it.

I'll put it in again today, but maybe I'll use hot water and LemiShine (yesterday I just used cold water and Dawn).
You would be better off taking it to anodizing shop and asking for it to be media blasted. It will take 5 minutes or less and they might charge you $20 at the very most.

[KenpoCop822]

I've used the Frankford Arsenal for a couple of weeks now. The first several batches came out shiny, like new. Those cases had been stored for a while, so no issues.

However, when I started cleaning recently sized cases (within a week), they started coming out being coated with a grayish, greasy film. I can clean that off when I dry tumble with walnut, but does anyone know why this might be an issue?

[Marlin 795]

I've used the Frankford Arsenal for a couple of weeks now. The first several batches came out shiny, like new. Those cases had been stored for a while, so no issues.

However, when I started cleaning recently sized cases (within a week), they started coming out being coated with a grayish, greasy film. I can clean that off when I dry tumble with walnut, but does anyone know why this might be an issue?

That is the case lube. I'm guessing you're using lanolin and alcohol, which is pretty tough to remove. My advice would be to use more soap, a little more lemishine, and maybe less water. I generally cover the cases with 2" max of HOT water, personally.

[KenpoCop822]

I will say that the first cases were all sized with Hornady One Shot. I did switch to a batch with the Dillon case lube, as you say, and that is when I started having the problem. The thing now, though, is that I went back to the One Shot and am still having the problem.

I will admit, I am using water from the outside tap and fill it up to the max with water. I switched from Dawn to simple Green to see if that would help.

I guess I'll try the hot water and limited water and see what happens.

[Marlin 795]

I will say that the first cases were all sized with Hornady One Shot. I did switch to a batch with the Dillon case lube, as you say, and that is when I started having the problem. The thing now, though, is that I went back to the One Shot and am still having the problem.

I will admit, I am using water from the outside tap and fill it up to the max with water. I switched from Dawn to simple Green to see if that would help.

I guess I'll try the hot water and limited water and see what happens.

This is going to hurt my soul to say this, but there was a totally perceptible difference between using actual Dawn and generic soap, too. For whatever reason, the Dawn did better.

Thoroughly rinsing the walls of the tumbler after each batch helped, too.

[KenpoCop822]

I originally used Dawn. I tried Simple Green to see if that would fix the problem. I did clean the inside running some Dawn and water only for about 30 minutes.

Like I said, I'll try the HOT water and limit my water and see what's up.

Thanks for the help.

[Slippers]

You're probably using too much water. I had the same issues originally, and I use Dillon case lube. I now use more dawn and only fill the water to an inch or two above the cases. I find I can tumble for less time this way, as well.

[jbdesigns]

after sizing my rifle brass (using imperial wax lube) i put them in the wet tumbler with hot tap water, filled to top like normal, one squirt of dawn, 1/4 teaspoon of lemishine and about 1/2 cup of denatured alcohol. the alcohol cuts the wax and lube and helps to suspend it into the water. if i didn't use the alcohol, the cases are just a touch greasy when done. hot water also helps to get the lube off. cold water would make it much tougher to clean the lube off.

[Rolls-Royce]

Be sure you deprime only before you wash. Pins will get stuck in the necks if you don't for some calibers. fyi I use a dehydrator to dry my brass after I get done washing them.

Careful on the lemishine also, it only takes a little.

+1 on all the above. I also use a dehydrator to dry cases. When the FA case dryer seemed to be out of stock everywhere, I just picked up a Nesco food dehydrator that looked identical except for the color of the trays, was about the same price, and was in stock at all the online retailers.

[Rolls-Royce]

I want to bump this...

I've had my Frankford tumbler sitting in a box for about a year, and I finally put it to work today.

As threatened, I threw an ugly ducking Glock slide in there... Nevermind how (my fault), but I have nothing to lose with this slide. So far, the steel pins are doing a good job chipping away at the misbegotten DuraCoat on the slide (not DuraCoat's fault: my fault).


I have a question about recipes:

This site says 5lbs pins, 8lbs water (1 gallon), and 2-4lbs brass:

http://www.stainlesstumblingmedia.com/tips/

Given that the Frankford tumbler holds about 15lbs of water (7 liters), it seems like 5lbs of pins aren't enough... The recommended recipe (above) should be about double to reach the Frankford's capacity (not to exceed 30lbs, total).


Finally, the Frankford pins are 0.041 or so, which is the size that stick in primer holes (so I hear). So, I bought another 5lbs of 0.047 pins from GunTap (best price I could find). So, far it's humming along...

Call me lucky, but I'm using the Frankford pins and haven't yet had any stuck in flash holes. I have seen a few .223 and 5.56 cases become absolutely jam packed with pins, though. it's weird to have a case like that leap nearly an inch off a pile of them to my magnetic pickup tool...